"Where does social change come from? Or, how to decompose almost anything." will be presented by Glenn Firebaugh, Roy C. Buck Professor Emeritus of American Institutions and Sociology and Demography at Pennsylvania State University on Monday, September 25, 2017.

Statististicians participate in a large study of mutations in mitochondrial DNA.
A multidisciplinary Penn State and UC Berkley team including researchers in genomics, bioinformatics, medical sciences, forensic sciences and statistics produced and analyzed breakthrough data on mutations that accrue as human mitochondria are passed from mothers to children. These mutations are involved in a large number of diseases. The findings that mitochondrial DNA molecules undergo a small bottleneck, and that mutations are more common in children of older mothers, are therefore critical for genetic counseling.

The breakthrough of sequencing the human genome created a need for professionals with backgrounds in life and computer sciences to analyze vast amounts of biological data for developing gene-based drugs and treatments.